Click the Add button the bottom-right. Enter an appropriate name and command.

Click Apply. In the main Keyboard Shortcuts window, click on the right side of your new custom shortcut – it should read “Disabled” at the moment. Give it an appropriate keyboard command.

Close the window, and test out your shortcut! It’ll become second nature in no time.

While you’re in the Keyboard Shortcuts window, be sure to look through the list and change shortcuts as you see fit! If your keyboard doesn’t have media keys, for example, you can assign one of the F-keys to volume up and volume down.

Custom shortcuts aren’t just for opening your favorite programs quickly. You can write a short script to automate some common task and bind that script to a keystroke! The possibilities are endless.

Super+D was the default for me to go to the desktop, and Super+E pulls up the flashy workspace switcher, which I quite like. I discovered keyboard shortcuts because of a misfire on my HP laptop’s built-in mute button. I was able to map “mute” to a keyboard shortcut, which saved me having to use the mouse.